Family Ties
by Rose Stetson
Summary: AU The Carter family adopts an eight year old boy Sam and Daniel are siblings
1. July 8, 1973

**July 8, 1973**

Eight-year-old Danny Jackson was quietly amusing himself while his parents worked on one of their exhibits. He sighed. It was his birthday and they had spent all day in that stupid museum.

Normally, he would be excited to step into one of his parents' exhibits. They made museums fun! However the works-in-progress weren't fun yet and it was his birthday!

He got up and walked over to the stone building they were creating. "Mom? Dad? Are you almost done?"

His dad was busy telling the men where to put the roof of the structure, and his mom was looking at the plans.

"Not yet, Danny."

"Claire- focus! A little more to the right!" His father responded.

"Go play now, Danny."

"I don't want to play here anymore! I want to…"

The chain holding the massive slab of rock snapped. Chaos reigned as it fell, seemingly in slow motion. The Drs. Jackson had been unable to get out of the structure, and the stone had fallen and crushed them.

Young Daniel Jackson stared in horror at what he believed he had done. His birthday was forgotten. He had distracted them, and now, his parents were gone forever.

* * *

_Reposted from the other version…had a reviewer who actually had Sam and Daniel's birthdays as opposed to me, who made them up…:)_


	2. April 16, 1974

**April 16, 1974**

The twins, Mark and Samantha Carter, were playing outside when 'the car' came.

"Mom! Mom!" They called, running into the house. "He's here!"

Elizabeth Carter stood from her place at the kitchen table. "Mark! Samantha! Calm down!"

The two spirited children ran into the kitchen. "Mom! Mom!"

She laughed. "You two sit. I need to go and speak with Mrs. McMurray. I'll send him in to play with you in a little while.

A cheer erupted from behind her as she went to answer the door. "Eat your snack, you two!"

She opened the door to find Mrs. McMurray, a social worker who looked like everybody's favorite grandmother, and a small mousy-looking boy.

_I really hope that Mark doesn't make fun of him, _Elizabeth thought softly. He really looked like he could use a friend or two.

"Hello, Mrs. McMurray. We've been expecting you. Come in."

"Thank you. Daniel, come inside and meet Mrs. Carter."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Carter. Is your name Daniel?"

He nodded, shyly.

"Hi, Daniel. The kids are in the kitchen. They have a snack for you."

He glanced over to find Mark and Sam watching the proceedings from the kitchen. They quickly raced back to the table.

"Them?"

She nodded and took his hand. She took him into the kitchen. "Mark, Samantha."

The kids turned.

"This is Daniel. Daniel, these are my two children, Mark and Samantha."

Samantha walked over and outstretched her hand. "You can call me Sam, but not Sammy…cause that's what Daddy calls me."

Daniel shook her head. "Pleased to meet you."

She shook her head as she laughed, gaily.

"Samantha." Her mother warned.

The little girl just looked up at her mother. Then, she looked back at Daniel. "I'm sorry. I'm pleased to meet you too."

Mark came over. "Aw, don't mind her. She's just a big baby!"

"Am not!" Came Sam's ferocious growl.

"Are too!" He replied, equally ferocious.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Kids…"

"Sorry." They apologized in unison.

"Samantha, will you please get Daniel his snack?" Elizabeth instructed. As her daughter went to do so, Elizabeth turned to the small boy and knelt down. "Would you like to eat your snack with Sam and Mark? Or would you like to come back in the living room with us?"

Daniel eyed the scene before him, and then looked back toward the living room. "Here." He replied.

"Okay." She stood back up. "When you're done with your snack, put your dishes in the sink, and then you can either play in the backyard or in the basement. I have to talk to Mrs. McMurray."

"Okay." The twins responded.

* * *

_I like the idea of Sam being a twin..._


	3. May 23, 1984

May 23, 1984

Fifteen-year-old Samantha Carter hummed softly to herself as she mixed the batter to the cookies. Tonight, her brother, Daniel, was graduating and the Carters would be having a few family members and close friends at their house after the ceremony.

It had been about ten years since Daniel had come to live with them. He was the only foster kid that her parents had adopted, but that wasn't saying much since her parents had given up their foster parenthood after only a couple of years. With her father's military career, it was just too hard to give those kids the support that they needed without uprooting them every few years.

Sam smiled. Today, her father, Lt. Colonel Jacob Carter would be at the event. They only got to see him every once in a while with his job, but he was bound and determined that no matter how many other events he was at that he would go to every one of his kids' graduations. So, her father would pick her mother up from her appointment in town and they would all get ready for Daniel's graduation ceremony.

A hand reached into the bowl, scooping up some of the raw dough. "Daniel!" She scolded, mockingly.

"What?' He asked, innocently, his mouth full of the forbidden confection.

"That's for the party!"

He grinned. "I won't tell if you won't!"

She tried to glare at him, but failed. "Fine." She dipped her own hand into the bowl and collected a small amount of the sticky batter.

"You know you love me…"

They savored the batter as it melted in their mouths.

"So, when're Mom and Dad getting back?" Daniel asked.

Sam looked at the clock. "I don't know. I thought they'd be back by now."

"Don't you just wish you could call your parents to find out how much longer they'd be?"

"Kind of like their personal telephone number." Sam piped in.

"Yep, that would definitely be nice."

Suddenly, Jacob Carter appeared in the doorway, looking ten years older.

"Dad!" Sam greeted, placing another drop of cookie dough onto the tray and picking it up to show her father. "Don't these cookies look-"

"Sam." Her father silenced her.

Daniel had already picked up on Jacob's less than merry demeanor, and when Sam stopped, it was apparent to her as well.

"Dad? Where's Mom?" She asked, terrified at what his answer might be.

Jacob took a deep breath, trying to hold back his own tears. "There was an accident."

"What happened?" Daniel asked, calmly, his birth parents' death on continuous loop in his head.

"Where's Mom? Is she okay?" Sam asked.

"No, Sam, she's not okay!" Daniel yelled. "He's got the same look on his face as Nick had on his when he told me that my parents were dead!" He turned back to Jacob, his voice deadly silent. "She's dead, isn't she?"

Jacob's throat constricted. He had to remain strong for them. "Yes, Daniel, she's dead."

The cookie sheet fell to the ground as Sam's body went limp. She landed in Daniel's arms. "Nice going, Dad." He said, carrying Sam's petite frame to the couch.

Jacob bit his lip. Daniel's words rang true, but the pain of admitting failure was sharp. He had been late; Elizabeth had taken a cab and been hit. Just a few minutes, either way…


	4. June 16, 1984

**June 16, 1984**

"Daniel?" Sam asked, knocking on his bedroom door.

"What?"

She flinched at his sharp tone. "I just thought you might want to talk."

"Well, you'd be wrong!"

She refused to be deterred. "Daniel, you haven't said a word to anyone since Mom died."

"I'm speaking to you, aren't I?"

"Barely."

"Sam…"

"Daniel, your birth parents died on your eighth birthday, and your adoptive mother died on the day that you should have graduated from high school. I would have issues with that."

Daniel stood up angrily, and Sam jumped back in surprise. "Sam! Just…" He faltered. "Just leave me alone!"

Sam bowed her head in defeat. "If that's what you really want."

He sat back down. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing. I just thought you might want to…"

"Sam, you have a tendency to come in and ask me if I want to talk when, in fact, it's you who wants to talk."

"That bad, huh?"

"Sam, you wanting to talk is not a bad thing."

"Oh, really?" She asked, hotly. "Then why aren't any of you GUYS talking? Hmmm? You, Dad, and Mark are hiding behind your respective masks of male bravado, not saying anything to anybody…"

Daniel tried to cut in, but she steamrolled past him. "Yes, Daniel. You're hiding behind some invisible force called bravado- the fancy word meaning male ego. I'm constantly the go-between. As if I don't have my own grief to worry about."

She began to cry and Daniel looked at her in a new light. She was the only woman in the household, still trying to find her place. And her primary mentor and guide- her mother- had just passed away.

"Sam." He said, gently.

She didn't even acknowledge that he had said anything.

"I'm sorry. I forgot that you lost Mom too." By now, she allowed him to pull her into a brotherly embrace.

"I'm worried." She whispered.

"About what?"

"Mark and Dad."

"That'll sort itself out."

"I sure hope so."


	5. March 16, 1992

**March 16, 1992**

A knock on the door prompted Daniel to walk over and open it. A blond woman in Air Force dress blues stood at the door, facing the wall opposite his apartment. "Sam?"

She turned. "Daniel!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I just got back from the Gulf. I stopped off in Egypt to see your dig, but…"

"I've been here for the last year and a half.'

She nodded.

Suddenly, he realized that she was still standing outside his apartment. "Come in, come in."

She smiled, walking into his apartment. "I thought you worked in a museum. You didn't say anything mention the fact that you actually live in one."

He grinned. "I have a tendency to bring my work home with me."

Sam silently observed the dwelling place of her older brother. Bookshelves lined almost every wall, each filled with another priceless relic from the Egyptian past. A desktop computer was barely visible underneath the plethora of papers lying on the desk. Books lay everywhere: on the coffee table, on the floor, on the desk, and on the bed.

While she studied the apartment, Daniel studied her. Her appearance was crisp and clean: her make-up (if she wore any at all) was tastefully done and her short blond hair was perfectly styled. She wore a navy blue dress jacket over her blues and a uniform hat on her head. But despite the similarly impeccable appearance she had prided herself on for many years, her eyes had lost the sparkle of innocence.

"You okay?"

She turned, surprised. "Oh, I'm fine. Had a shoulder injury awhile back, but with therapy, it's almost fully…"

"I meant, are you okay emotionally?"

She wasn't as quick to answer, but turned back toward the bookcase. She seemed to draw strength from the spine of each book, moving her fingers down the row.

The seconds that passed felt like hours and Daniel considered repeating his question. He allowed a minute or two more to lapse before he heard a tiny whisper. "I can't shake the nightmares."

Daniel's sharp intake of breath made her turn. There was a sadness in her eyes that he had only seen once before- shortly after their mom had died.

"My team's going back next week."

She hadn't included herself in the group, and Daniel double-checked his hypothesis. "And you?"

"I didn't pass the psych evaluation. I start meeting with the shrink tomorrow."

The door opened and in walked Sarah Gardner. "Daniel! I brought Chinese. I thought…" She looked up from the box of food she held in her hands to see Sam in Daniel's living room, and she stopped. "Oh, you have company."

"No, no…Sarah, this is my sister, Sam."

"Your sister."

"Pleased to meet you." Sam said, plastering a smile on her face.

"And you," Sarah said, setting the food down on the counter and extending her hand for a handshake.

Sam accepted it, and Sarah turned to Daniel. "Why didn't you tell me your sister was in town? I might have done something more formal than Chinese take-out for two."

"Oh, he didn't know I was coming." Sam answered quickly. "I got some unexpected leave."

"You're Air Force."

She nodded, and then turned back to Daniel. "I really should get going. I have an appointment with a realtor."

Daniel gave her a confused look.

"I'm moving out of the barracks. Hopefully that'll help."

"There's an apartment in this building if that helps."

She nodded in the direction of the English woman. "Thank you. It might."

Daniel bit his lip. "If you need a place to stay, I have a couch." He offered.

"Thanks. I don't think I'll need it though. Dad's had the Air Force set me up for now."

Daniel let his eyebrows raise in understanding. "Ah."

"I guess I'll see you around." She said, walking toward the door.

"Wait!" Sarah said, looking at Daniel. "Daniel and I were going to go downtown for dinner tomorrow night. Would you like to join us?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"Sam!" Daniel scolded.

"It's not an imposition. I'll simply call the restaurant and arrange for our reservation to be changed from a two-person booth to a three-person table. I'd love to get to know you better."

"Come on, Sam. I haven't seen you in…"

"Four years." She said, with a small smile. "Okay. I'm in."

"Great!"

She motioned toward the door. "I've really got to go."

Daniel approached her and gave her a hug, kissing her on the cheek. "Well, good luck on the house hunting. Call us if you need anything."

She nodded. "Of course. Bye."


	6. June 30, 1993

**June 30, 1993**

Samantha Carter walked through the corridors of the Pentagon toward Major General Robert West's office, trepidation mounting with each step. She had an appointment in fifteen minutes with General West and a woman named Dr. Catherine Langford about an Air Force project that they wanted her to be a part of. Most likely, it would be another assignment that her father had assembled to keep her out of special ops.

She arrived into the reception area and sat next to an older woman who wore a curious necklace. Sam tried to tell herself to either stop looking at it or ask her how she had obtained such a beautiful amulet, but it was no use. She was almost mesmerized by it. She studied it in great detail, the way she imagined Daniel would have if he had seen it. She recognized the Eye of Ra, and realized why she had thought of her archaeologist brother. He was after all, one of the world's foremost experts on Ancient Egyptian culture.

"You like the amulet." The woman said, an amused smile on her face.

Sam looked up sheepishly. "I'm sorry. It's just that my brother has a PhD in Egyptology. He would have loved your amulet."

Catherine Langford smiled, but before either could continue their conversation, General West stepped out of his office. "Dr. Langford. Captain Carter."

Both women stood.

"General West." Catherine greeted.

"General." Sam said, snapping a sharp salute.

He motioned for both women to enter his office and have a seat. "Captain Carter, the assignment you have been transferred to is classified top secret."

Her heart fluttered; her father hadn't had anything to do with her appointment. In fact, it had probably been against her father's direct orders. "I understand." She said, remaining outwardly calm.

"Good. Dr. Langford wants you to head up a team of scientists conducting research on a device found by her father in 1928."

"It was found in Egypt. The Giza plateau. Scientists have been studying it off and on for more than fifty years. This administration hopes to make their dreams of solving the puzzle a reality."

Sam couldn't help but grin in excitement. "When do I start?"

"All in due time, Captain." The General said, eyeing the young woman. "As I understand, you were an assistant to one of the Physics professors at the Academy."

Inwardly, Sam groaned. It had just been another cushy job that her father had pulled strings to get her. "Yes, sir. I was."

"You were stationed in Colorado Springs, correct?"

She nodded. "Yes, sir."

"You have two weeks to move to Washington, D.C. The Air Force is willing to help you find adequate housing."

"Thank you, sir." She said as the General stood. She and Catherine stood as well. "Welcome to the team, Captain Carter." Catherine said as she reached out to shake Sam's hand.

"Thank you, Dr. Langford."


	7. August 11, 1995

**August 11, 1995**

Daniel stood in the large lecture hall, his notes on the podium before him and a large chalkboard behind him. All of these archaeologists were sitting in front of him, listening to him defend his thesis. And they weren't impressed. In fact, many of the members of the audience were starting to get up and leave. He tried not to let the lack of enthusiasm defeat him, but unfortunately, now, only thirteen minutes and twelve seconds after he started, only a handful of the seats were occupied. "Is there a lunch…or something?" He asked, the professor who had initiated his lecture. The man handed him an envelope with his meager pay and quickly left the room.

Daniel closed his eyes in humiliation. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Daniel." Sam said, hurrying into the empty room, crossing paths with the professor.

She looked around and watched the few people left leave. "Is there a lunch or something?" She asked, confused.

"No, Sam…I just…the world is not ready to learn that the pyramids were built by a people that we haven't even heard of yet."

"Aliens?" She asked, trying to make fun of the conclusions that old archaeologists were coming to out of reading Daniel's papers.

"I don't care who built them, Sam…just as long as we acknowledge that the people who built those were not from the Fourth Dynasty." He said, wearily.

She studied him. He was not going to be happy when she finally got a chance to tell him that she was engaged to Jonas Hansen. He and Daniel had met a few times, and Daniel had insisted that he had a screw loose. But Sam had been blind and in love, and didn't hear a word that he said…that was until she started having doubts about the relationship herself. So, here she was six weeks away from the wedding…finally telling her brother about her engagement…and having freezing cold feet.

"Come on, Daniel, I'll buy you lunch."

He shook his head. "No…I've got to go."

"Daniel…"

"Sam, I'll…I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Daniel, I know that things have been hard. And…if you need a place to stay, give me a call. Okay?"

He chuckled. "It's nothing I can't handle. And trust me…I've handled a lot."

"Okay…" She said, not as confident as he seemed to be.

"Trust me. I'll just clean up my stuff and head home."

"Are you sure?"

He kissed her cheek. "I'm fine. Just a little rough spot. I'm sure everything'll come together again soon."

"All right." She said, as she turned to walk away. "So, you're calling tonight?"

"Yeah. If I don't forget…"

She smiled. "Okay."

--

It was nine-thirty and Sam hadn't heard from Daniel yet. Despite his claims of being okay, she had a feeling that everything was worse than he had first let on. "Hey, Babe." Jonas said, walking into the living room, two glasses of wine in his hands.

She looked up, suddenly realizing that he was speaking to her. "Oh…hi."

"Something on your mind?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to do so. "Nothing."

"Right…nothing."

"Sorry…" She said, an apologetic smile on her face. "It's just that…Daniel said that he was okay, and…after his bomb of a lecture today, I'm…I'm kind of afraid that he might do something desperate."

"Sam…" He said, sitting next to her on the couch and playing with her hair. "You worry too much. I'm sure your brother is just fine."

"He's never missed a phone call before." She said, worriedly. "Except that one time when he was…"

Jonas started nibbling on her ear. "Don't worry about it."

"Stop." She said, pushing on his chest to get away from her.

"What? Babe, this is our night! I mean, I've got the wine, the music…all that stuff you care about."

"And my brother might have committed suicide! I don't care about 'our night' right now." She fumed.

"Sam, your brother would have been all depressed before he committed suicide…" Jonas said, irritably.

"HE WAS!" She shouted back.

"Sam, I didn't come over here to have you yell at me."

"I don't give a damn about why you came here…because right now is not the time!" She yelled. "And if you can't tell when is the wrong or right time to try to finagle your way out of me, then I gave you the wrong answer!"

Jonas stood stunned. "Sam…are you…? You're really…?"

"Yes." She said, her lungs heaving for breath as she tore the engagement ring from her finger.

She closed her eyes and collected herself as she handed it to him. "I can't…We…we've both changed, and…I don't think that either one of us are…I don't think I can be the wife you want me to be."

"Sam, I can come back in the morning…" He said, carefully.

"Don't."

"Sam…"

"I should never have said yes to you." She said, hanging her head in shame.

"I see. Well, I'll grab my jacket and be on my way then."

She sat on the couch and didn't even watch him go. She was filled with such a conflicting myriad of emotions that she wasn't sure of what she wanted to do: cry or pick up the phone and call her brother.

She decided to call her brother. While she was on the phone with him, she would be able to cry.

She picked up the cordless telephone and dialed the familiar numbers only to hear the operator's recorded message: "This line has been disconnected. Please check the number and dial again."

She closed her eyes. She didn't need this right now.


	8. August 25, 1995

**August 25, 1995 (Two weeks later)**

Sam walked into General West's office looking slightly disheveled. Last night had been another sleepless night filled with worry and speculation. It had been two weeks since she'd heard from Daniel. He had been evicted from his apartment, his grants had run out, and he had been in a depressed state after his ill-fated lecture. All evidence pointed to suicide.

She knocked on the office door and General West motioned for her to enter. "Captain Carter, please…have a seat."

She did so and the General sat back down. "We've sent a team through the Stargate."

"The Stargate?" She asked, confused.

"The device that your team has been studying."

She raised an eyebrow. "All due respect, sir, that's impossible."

"I was there when they left, Captain. It's about as impossible as walking on the moon."

She started fuming inside. "If I may ask, SIR, why wasn't I informed?"

"Because it wasn't YOUR work that made it functional, Captain."

It was as if he had slapped her. Two years of hard work, and she was being stripped not only of her right to go through the very device she had been studying so hard, but she was being discredited for its functionality as well?

"Yes, sir." She said, slightly civilly.

"Well, that's all, Captain. You're on leave until we figure out what the Pentagon wants to do with the Program. You're dismissed."

She tried not to be sarcastic or show her frustration with the words he expected to hear. "Thank you, sir."

Then, she turned on her heel and left.


	9. August 28, 1995

_I had a fan who gave me an idea on how I could put Sam's fears at relative ease and still Sam and Jack ship! So, here's one of the interim chapters. I will also put up some changes to the chapter that was previously chapter 9._

**August 28, 1995**

"Jack!" Daniel said, suddenly remembering something as he watched this…friend, he guessed he could call him, walk through the Stargate.

He turned. "Yes?"

"Will you take this to somebody for me?"

He held out a plain white envelope with an address scribbled on it.

"Sure." He said, thinking that it was the least he could do for the man who saved his life and got him home.

"Thanks."

"You gonna be okay?"

Daniel nodded as Sha're came up to him, putting her arms on his shoulder as he placed one arm around her waist. "Yeah. What about you?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Yeah."


	10. September 15, 1995

**September 15, 1995**

Jack drove up to the apartment building in Washington, D.C. He took a deep breath. The last couple of weeks had been harder than he thought they would be. Then again, he wasn't sure what he had expected. Maybe to come home to his wife, apologize and begin trying for reconciliation. Unfortunately, by the time he had arrived back, she had left. Nothing but a handwritten note explaining her apologies was left by her.

He reached into his pocket and retrieved the wrinkled envelope. There was no name, just an address. He got out of the rental car and walked up to the door. He selected the button for apartment 6B and pressed it.

"Yes?" The male voice asked.

"My name is Colonel Jack O'Neill with the United States Air Force. I have a message from Daniel Jackson."

"Who's that?"

"He's an archaeologist. He asked me to deliver a letter here on his behalf."

"What's the Air Force want with an archaeologist?'

"That's classified."

"Sorry…don't know anybody by that name."

Jack took a deep breath. It just was not going to be his day. "Thank you."

He walked away, passing a blond woman in a blue jogging suit as he did so.

"Hey!" She called.

He turned. She outstretched her hand. "I'm Samantha Carter. You new?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Just…trying to find somebody."

She nodded. "Well, if I can help…"

"I'm not sure that you can."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you around?"

"Not likely." He said, putting his sunglasses on as he got into the car.

Determining not to let his dreary mood affect her own contentedness, she hurried up to the her apartment.

When she opened the door, she smelled spaghetti and garlic bread. She heard footsteps, and so she reached for the semi-automatic pistol that she kept with her at all times. Before she could cock it, Jonas peeked over from the kitchen. "Hey, babe! Thought I'd bring dinner."

She looked at him, anger starting to boil inside her. "How did you get in here?" She asked, her teeth clenching.

"The doorman. Even helped me with the groceries."

She closed her eyes in frustration. She would inform the doorman that Jonas Hansen was no longer allowed inside the building. Ever. "What are you trying to do, Jonas?"

"Fix dinner."

"Jonas, I gave you your ring back. I don't want to get back together."

"But Sam…baby…"

"I want you to go. Take your spaghetti, your garlic bread, your wine, and whatever…wants…you have and go."

He sauntered up to her, his eyes flashing in anger. "Are you suggesting I only want you back to satisfy my physical desires?"

She took a step away from him, somewhat frightened by the look in his eye. She had seen glimpses of it, but now…

"I loved you and you repay me with this…filth?"

He raised his arm to strike her, but anticipating his move, she blocked his fist from beating her face. He moved in to attack a few more times, each time receiving blocking blows from her. Finally, she saw that the only way this fight was going to end was with a swift and decisive end. She was going to have to stop making defensive strikes, and start making offensive strikes. She hit him in the stomach and as he bent over, the wind knocked out of him, she let her fist sail into his nose. The blood started to drip onto the carpet, but she was breathing so hard that she couldn't have cared less.

"Get out of my house." She said, deathly silently.

Within a minute, he was gone, and she allowed herself to collapse to the ground in tears.


	11. June 14, 1997

**June 14, 1997**

Sam walked into the embarkation room, all geared up and ready to go. Four years she had waited for this…two of which had been unjustly given to her. She was especially looking forward to meeting this…Dr. Jackson. He had taken her credit, her experience and she was looking forward to finding out just how much the hallowed Dr. Jackson knew about how the Stargate functioned.

She softened a little inside, however, as she looked at the base of the ramp and found Major General George Hammond standing there. She had probably become so bitter about the whole ordeal because of the abrupt way that General West had handled it. It was probably time to let that go since the new commander was much more lenient and kind.

When he had taken command of the project, he had immediately noticed her hard work and the oversight that West had made. Now, she was going to be walking through the very things she had been studying for four years.

Four years, she thought. Time flies, I guess…

"Try to follow orders this time, Colonel."

"Sir?"

"This time you bring Jackson back. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Move out!"

She continued to stare at the wormhole despite the fact that most of the team had gone through already.

"Captain?"

She looked at her commanding officer, trying to convince her heart that it was unacceptable to begin pounding like battle drums if he spoke to her. "Don't worry, Colonel. I won't let you down."

"Good. I was gonna say 'Ladies first.'"

They walked up the ramp.

"You know, you really will like me when you get to know me." She said, unable to stop herself.

"Oh, I adore you already, Captain."

She stopped just short of the event horizon, in awe of what was happening. A million different things flew through her mind as she stared at this…this…miracle.

"My God... look at this. The energy the Gate must release to create a stable wormhole is - is astronomical, to use exactly the right word." It was childish, she knew, but she couldn't help but touch her hand against the clear blue surface of the event horizon. "You can actually see the fluctuations in the event horizon.

Suddenly, a hand on her back pushed her through the wormhole. She had wanted to savor the moment;' after all, it had been four years in coming, and he ruined it for her. She arrived on the other side, feeling incredibly nauseated, and cold. It was almost a deadly combination for her. "Oh... I think I'm going to be sick. Uhhh..."

For some reason, her commanding officer found it somewhat amusing as he patted her shoulder. "Maybe you shouldn't have had that big lunch."

They were in an almost deserted temple as they carefully walked down the steps. In the blink of an eye, they were surrounded by teenagers holding guns. All of the soldiers brought their own automatic weapons into position. Just the, a man burst through the crowd, robed in the traditional clothing of Abydos, but with a fairer complexion than the others around him.

"Cha'hari! Cha'hari! Lower your guns."

That voice. That voice made her blood run cold. Daniel? Daniel took her place on the expedition through the Stargate? DANIEL WAS ALIVE?

"Jack? Uhh... welcome back."

He walked toward Daniel as if to say hello, but instead brushed past him toward a native young man. "Skaara."

"O'Neill."

They shared a manly embrace, before pulling back. "I did not think to be seeing you again!"

Jack finally turned around to face Daniel. "Daniel, how you doing?"

"Uh, good. You?"

"Much better, now that I see that everybody's okay."

Finally, Sam found her voice. "Daniel?" She whispered.

He turned, confused at the sound of her voice. When he saw her, his eyes widened. "Sam?"

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded. "Geez! I thought you were dead!"

Jack just gaped at his normally level-headed second-in-command.

"What?" Daniel asked, confused.

"You'd been evicted from your apartment, your grants had run out, our lecture was a flop…I thought you might have been suicidal after I left! And instead, you took my place on the expedition!"

"Your place?" He asked, still surprised to see her off-world.

Jack finally found his tongue again. Though it was in the pit of his stomach from surprise, he managed to get it to work. "Captain."

She took a deep breath as she noticed Sha're poke her head out from one of the rooms to see what was going on. "Permission to be excused to calm down, sir."

"Granted." He said. She walked away.

"Old girlfriend?" Jack asked, stepping closer to the confused archaeologist.

"Wha-? No…No…she's…she's my sister."

"Your sister?" Jack asked, surprised. How'd two people manage to turn something that good-looking out alongside something like…Daniel? He asked himself.

"Yep. You didn't give her letter I wrote?"

There was a pause. "That letter was for her? Damn! I knew she looked familiar! I ran into her when I tried to drop it off, but that jerk said he'd never heard of you…"

"You've got to be kidding me…"

"Daniel! The guy I spoke to at the address written on the envelope said he didn't know a Daniel Jackson. There was no name on the letter, so how was I to know who it was for?" He threw the envelope that had plagued his life with guilt for the last two years at the dumbfounded archaeologist and then walked off in search of the distraught captain.

"What is it, Daniel?" Sha're asked, coming over and placing her arms on his shoulder as his arm snaked around her waist.

He took a deep breath. "That's…my sister."

"Samantha?"

"Yep."

"You should go talk to her."

"I will…but…I'll give her a moment to calm down first."


	12. June 14, 1997 Part II

**June 14, 1997 (Part II)**

Jack found her sitting in a corner, her knees resting underneath her chin as her body was silently racked with sobs. "Go away, Daniel! I don't want to talk right now!" She said, not looking up.

"Excuse me? Daniel?" Jack asked, looking around him

Sam looked up, almost panicked when she recognized her commanding officer's voice. She furiously wiped at the tears running down her cheeks. "Sir, I'm…I'm sorry."

She moved to get up, but Jack waved her efforts away. "'Sokay, Carter. Actually, I came because…I guess I should be the one apologizing."

"You?" She asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Daniel gave me this letter, and I went to deliver it, but when I did so…well, long story short, I still had the letter and you never got it."

She paled. "You were…you were the one…"

"Yeah." He said, sitting next to her. There was an awkward pause before Jack started talking. "So…that guy that I talked to through your intercom was your husband?"

"I'm not married." She replied, quickly.

"Ex-husband?"

"Actually, even when you were there, he was my ex-fiancée."

"Ah."

"He was trying to get back together with me, but…"

"You flattened him instead." He said, trying to be somewhat lighthearted.

She remained silent.

"Carter, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable…"

"You're not, sir."

"I think I am."

She looked his direction, and then returned her gaze toward the wall opposite her.

"Look, I know we just met, and that we didn't exactly have the best interaction, but…I just thought…" He ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know what I thought. I guess…I feel responsible for what happened."

She looked down at her knees and then over at him. "It wasn't your fault. It was Jonas's. He should never have been at my place."

"I don't know, sometimes, I think it would have been better if I had just mailed the damn thing. But no…I had to wait two weeks and take it myself. My last 'official' duty."

She touched his arm, lightly before retreating it to her lap, somewhat ashamed for initiating the intimate contact, but even more ashamed for how good it felt. "No, sir, I…I really appreciate the thought…I just…it's been a hard couple of years."

"Tell me about it."

"Hey! Colonel!" Kawalsky said, entering the chamber that they occupied. He stopped, somewhat self-conscious about seeing his commanding officer alone with one of the junior officers on the team. "Uh…maybe I should come back…"

"What, Kawalsky?" Jack asked, irritation evident in his tone of voice.

"Daniel found something…fate of the universe kinda thing…he wants us to check it out."

Sam stood and dusted off her BDUs. "I'll be there in a moment."

"Uh, actually, Captain, he…uh…he just asked for the Colonel."

Sam looked from the clueless major to the helpless Colonel and brushed past them.

"Man, who put a stick up her butt?"

"That's enough, Kawalsky. I don't want to hear another derogatory remark about anyone on the team."

Charlie studied his friend. "Is everything ok, sir? You seem a little…"

"I'm fine."

"Good, 'cuz for a moment…"

"Kawalsky, she worked hard to get where she is…and people like you and I are undermining her natural abilities for our own pleasure. I've had enough."

"Yes, sir."


End file.
